In this September file photo, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell arrives at a press conference with House Republicans on proposed greenhouse gas standards issued by the Environmental Protection Agency.

Mr. McConnell –and 40 other Republican senators including fellow Kentuckian Rand Paul—filed a resolution of “disapproval” against the agency’s proposed rules, which were formally offered last week in the Federal Register.

The regulations would encourage the use of carbon-capture technology to minimize emissions, which the industry says would effectively prevent the building of new coal-fired plants.

“Kentucky is facing a real crisis here,” McConnell said from the Senate floor. “The Obama administration appears to be sending signals that its latest regulation is just the beginning in a new, expanded front in its war on coal.”

The longtime Kentucky Republican has been sparring with the White House and President Barack Obama’s administration over coal industry environmental regulations for several years, during which time the coal industry in Appalachia has been shrinking and its jobs disappearing.

“Already, the administration’s regulations have played a significant role in causing coal jobs in my state to plummet,” said Mr. McConnell. “These are good jobs that pay more than $1 billion in annual wages to my constituents. And for every miner with a job, three more Kentuckians will hold a coal-dependent job too,” he added.

The Sierra Club denounced the GOP resolution.

“McConnell is attacking [the rules] before the Environmental Protection Agency has even determined what they will be. McConnell’s political maneuver is like asking for instant replay before the football is even snapped,” said Melinda Pierce, Sierra Club Deputy Legislative Director, in a statement.

The EPA is unlikely to finish the coal-plant rulemaking for months; it has just begun a 60-day comment period.

But Mr. McConnell can’t afford to dally. He is running for re-election, and has been under fire both from the likely Democratic contender, Alison Lundergan Grimes, and from a tea party candidate, Matt Bevin, who may challenge Mr. McConnell in a GOP primary this year. Mr. Bevin has support from well-funded conservative groups, including the Senate Conservatives Fund.

Last month Mr. Bevin’s campaign accused Mr. McConnell of neglecting Kentucky’s embattled coal companies and their employees, saying Mr. McConnell had a record of “failure” in coal country. It said that Kentucky’s coal jobs had decreased 22 % from the end of 2011 to the end of 2012.

Much of the employment decline is linked to energy market forces, the aging coal-industry infrastructure, and the boom in the U.S. production of natural gas.

The industry allies on Capitol Hill filed the disapproval resolution under a provision called the Congressional Review Act, which gives lawmakers a chance to try eliminate onerous regulations imposed by the executive branch. A press release from Mr. McConnell’s office said the disapproval resolution will “ensure a vote” to stop the rule—though such actions don’t have a great track record.

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Washington Wire is one of the oldest standing features in American journalism. Since the Wire launched on Sept. 20, 1940, the Journal has offered readers an informal look at the capital. Now online, the Wire provides a succession of glimpses at what’s happening behind hot stories and warnings of what to watch for in the days ahead. The Wire is led by Reid J. Epstein, with contributions from the rest of the bureau. Washington Wire now also includes Think Tank, our home for outside analysis from policy and political thinkers.